Temperatures will continue to fall over the next few days

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In her house in Mae Sot in northwestern Thailand, Thae Su Lin anxiously monitors her phone, waiting for an update. Three days ago, her life was rocked when a powerful temblor struck the region.

"I've never experienced an earthquake that strong in my life," she said, recalling the moment that the 

Although initially scared, Lin is now safe. But her thoughts have quickly turned to her family, still trapped across the border in Myanmar. For them, the impact has been catastrophic.

"The building of one of my aunt's families collapsed. There is a total of 11 people stuck," she said. "They still can't rescue the bodies."

The quake that struck on Friday, has so far claimed more than 2,000 lives, with thousands more injured. Close to the epicenter, the cities of Sagaing and Mandalay have been hit particularly hard.

Rescue operators have been working non-stop trying to save those under the rubble. With many of those trapped 

potentially having sustained serious injuries

, and unable to access food or water, operators are now locked in a race against time to get them out before it's too late.

"The first 24 to 72 hours are a small window that is there to save the lives of people that are trapped inside the buildings," said Dr. Unni Krishnan, global humanitarian director for Plan International, a nonprofit that focuses on the rights of children. "Three days into this earthquake, time is running out fast."

Although rescue efforts have continued past that 72-hour mark, the chances of finding people alive are now decreasing, said Wang Yu, associate professor at the National Taiwan University Southeast Asia Earthquake Geology Lab.

"The longer a life has been buried under the bricks, the slimmer the chance that the life can be rescued," Yu said.

"In some situations, we see there are some miracles that happen," he said, adding, "it's not that common."

Myanmar lies on a major tectonic fault line, known as the Sagaing Fault, that separates two tectonic plates. Although earthquakes do happen in the region, the sheer scale of this quake has taken many by surprise.

Videos sent by those inside Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest with a population of 1.5 million people, show tents erected outside collapsed homes.

"Thousands and thousands of people are on the streets," said Willie Lin, a student living in the city. "They are currently sleeping on the ground with the belongings that they could bring."

"People are in need of food, water, mosquito nets, bed sheets," he said. "We are in a devastating condition."

Aftershocks have also continued to rock the region, leading many to worry that other buildings might collapse.

In the face of the quake, Myanmar's military junta has made a rare plea for international humanitarian aid that has been answered by countries around the world.

The U.S. said they have pledged $2 million in aid to be funded through "Myanmar-based humanitarian assistance organizations." A USAID team is also being sent to Myanmar.

 questions about the impact that recent cuts to the agency will have on its ability to respond.

On Sunday, China said it had sent more than 135 rescue workers and experts and pledged $13.8 million in aid. Russia said they had sent 120 workers, including canine units, to the quake-hit country.

difficult for rescue teams already on the ground

Critical infrastructure such as the Ava Bridge that connects hard-hit Sagaing with Mandalay have been destroyed, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Social media video shows the bridge collapsed into the water below.

For Plan International, who have two teams on the ground, a journey to one of the most hard-hit areas that would normally take around 8 hours, instead took over 12.

Once their teams arrived, issues with internet connectivity and phone signals also prevented them from coordinating their movements in real time.

"Collapse of the communication systems, roads being damaged, everything is unfortunately working against the earthquake survivors, and time is running out for them," Krishnan said.

Dar Dar Moo contributed to this report from Thailand.

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Jan Camenzind Broomby

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With many of those trapped potentially having sustained serious injuries, and unable to access food or water, operators are now locked in a race against time to get them out before it’s too late.

Rescuers sift through Myanmar earthquake debris as window to find survivors closes

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